Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-26
THE IVORY TRADE.
The Manner and Extent In Which it is
Carried On.

A correspondent of Das Haadels- MI
scum, of Vienna, says that for centuries
Zanzibar was the chief mart of ivory.
which was formerly brought partly from
the coast, partly from the interior. But
with the increased consumption and value
of that article, elephants are being exter-
minated and have to be sought far away
in the interior, to the west of Tanganyika
and northwest of Victoria Nyanza. The
chief trading center in the interior is
Tabara, in Myamwesi, where various car
AVIAN routes meet. The practice at present
is for Indian traders to equip caravan in
Zanzibar and place it in charge of an ex-
perienced and trustworthy Arab, who takes
it from Bagamoyo, opposite Zanzibar, to
exchanges goods which he has brought for
the purpose, and starts on the return Jour-
ney but, as a rule, the caravan has to go
farther, and by the information he receives
from returning caravans the conductor
Judges where he can go with most chance
of speedy success.
Large quantities of ivory are usually in
the hands of native chiefs, with whom it
is kind of treasure, and sometimes, it is
said, the Arab conductors, who are usually
accompanied by well-armed escorts, will
make war on chief, seize his ivory and
sell his people into slavery. If force can
not be used, the trader must patiently pur-
chase small quantities from time to time
as occasion arises, and sometimes he is
forced to wait for years in the interior be-
fore he can part with all his merchandise
and obtain his loads of ivory. The greater
part of the ivory arrives in Zanzibar in
July and August; the Indian merchants
go to Bagamoyo to meet their conductors,
and then a settlement takes place. The
cost of the caravan, with Is per cent per
annum, is charged to the Arab, the Indian
takes the ivory, sells it on account If the
Arab, and pays the latter the balance. Ar
rived in Zanzibar, the ivory is either sent
by the Indian merchants direct to Bombay
or to London, or it is sold to Hamburg or
American merchants ons the spot.
The trade, therefore, is wholly in the
hands of Indian merchants; but the adj
vantage of having agents of the European
merchants in Tabara to purchase ivory
Systematically and forward it to the coast
has been discussed in Zanzibar, and one
Hamburg firm there decided to try it. \
clravan under two Germans was dis
patched to Tabara, where one was to re-
main and establish branch, while the
other pushed on to Uganda, so as to be
able to purchase at first hand One died
soon afterwards, and the other fell i'll and
was forced to return. The close connec-
ton between the ivory and the slave trade
in the interior must always act as him
drance to Europeans trading at first hand
in ivory. The Arabs usually transport the
ivory to the coast by means of natives
whom they have enslaved or purchased at
very low prices, and then can sell the lat
ter on the coast at a profit Of ten dollars
ahead. European traders, on the other
hand, must pay the bearers five dollars a
month, and an arms length of cotton stuff
per day.
No statistics exist respecting the annual
export from Zanzibar, but the writer is
convinced that for ten years past it has
been pretty regular. In the past thirty
FIVE years the price has trebled. About
1910 ivory cost 81 pound. Now it costs
So. Large tusks weighing 100 pounds to
100 pounds are much rarer than they were
ten years since, and the number of smaller
tuszs has greatly increased. Zanzibar ivory
stands higher in the market than that
from Abysinia, Egypt or the West Coast
The export from Mozambique and the
North and South Somali Coasts is COM
paratively small. The best ivory is used
for the manufacture of billiard balls; the
| inferior sorts are converted into knife
handles, ornaments, etc.